This Is How Not to Study

Written by Lucky to Graduate
on Monday, September 19, 2016.
Posted in Miracles

Today we've got another school-themed Miracle Monday for you. This story is submitted by Lucky to Graduate.

I was baptized when I was a senior in high school, so I was still a relatively new member of The Church when I began college. This had obvious benefits, as I was able to approach the whole experience in a prayerful manner.

However, it also created some challenges. I resolved to read the entire Book of Mormon that year, so I carried it with me to school, reading it in between classes. I also was so enjoying attending church that I not only attended my own branch and MBA meetings but I also regularly visited the MBA meetings of another nearby branch. Studying? I’d be fitting that in when the exams came around.

That first semester, I took a political science course. No offense to those who may find this subject interesting, but I routinely struggled to pay attention in this class. When the mid-term exam came around, I dutifully pulled out my political science book the night before the exam to study. To my horror, when I looked at the syllabus, I saw that I was supposed to have been reading 25 to 30 pages after each class — which obviously I had not been doing. The mid-term exam would cover over 400 pages of this boring textbook!

Realizing the hopelessness of the situation, I looked to the Lord, asking what to do at this point. Now, I want to emphasize to any students who may be reading this — this is NOT how to study! Be that as it may, the textbook fell open to a certain page, and I was looking at a one-page essay describing the theory of a man named John Locke. Somewhere in my memory, I recalled the professor mentioning the name John Locke at some point, so I went ahead and read the one page. Satisfied that I understood this one thing, I closed the book and went to bed.

The next day, I opened the mid-term exam, which presented several options for essays to write. Option No. 1 was to explain John Locke’s theory. Against all odds (and totally undeservedly), God allowed me to get a good grade on this exam, and I did pass the course. I did learn from this experience — I did a better job of balancing my time to complete my school work (also, no more political science!).

Over the years, I have had several opportunities as a minister to offer prayer for young people who expressed a desire for God to help them with upcoming exams. I have always prayed in this same way (perhaps to their chagrin) — “Lord, help this young person with their exams. Allow them to recall everything that they study in preparation for the exams.” This is how to study!

Wanted: Your Scripture-reading Stories

Next month's Miracle Monday theme is reading scripture. Did the Lord ever bless you with a totally new and much-needed thought, idea, or answer to prayer while you were reading His word? Perhaps you needed to locate a specific scripture, and God showed it to you. Did the Lord ever give you a scripture to share with someone else? We'd love to hear your stories. Click here to share.